"The Three Musketeers"

Three out of four stars

Through Oct. 19, Festival Theatre

Aside from school groups that flock here during weekday matinees in spring and fall, Stratford will never rival Cedar Point as a major attraction for kids. That could change with more productions like “The Three Musketeers,” which successfully blends the wonder of live theater with the fast-paced action of a summer movie blockbuster.

In a story based on beloved 19th-Century books by Alexandre Dumas, handsome country boy D’Artagnan (Luke Humphrey) wants desperately to join the brigade of musketeers whose bravery is legendary. Proud and a little naïve, he immediately ends up in separate duels with the title characters — Porthos (Jonathan Goad), Aramis (Mike Shara) and Athos (Graham Abbey). They respond to his chutzpah and make him an apprentice of sorts, enlisting him to help protect the interests of the French king.

Directed by Miles Potter, this “Three Musketeers” moves at a feverish pace, which is both its strength and its weakness. It keeps our attention, for sure, even if we don’t especially care about some of the dramatic turns, like a key character’s death. And do we ever believe that our heroes are truly in danger?

Now the important stuff: The sword fighting (directed by John Stead) is solidly executed, silly in the style of “The Princess Bride” or “Pirates of the Caribbean.” And there are some genuinely funny parts, especially when D’Artagnan tries to urge each musketeer back to action when they insist on other pursuits.

Playing one of the musketeers is a character actor’s dream. Abbey is handsome and angst-filled, while Goad mines his comic skills as the lustiest of the bunch. Shara’s Aramis remains my favorite, cleverly juggling his desire to be both holy man and soldier.

Stratford has spared no expense in terms of costume and set design, all in the service of stimulating the imagination. No matter what age you are, the play has the power to give you the same thrill you had when getting involved in your first adventure book.

Every yarn like this needs a villain, and “Three Musketeers” has a dandy in the sadistic swordsman Count de Rochefort (Michael Blake), who has several scrapes with the musketeers but not a true climactic duel. If this is a hint at a sequel, I’m all in. And next time I won’t forget to bring the kids.